“Look at those blithering imbeciles! Human and robot alike, fools one and all, wasting what pathetically little remaining cerebral ability they’ve allotted themselves after trying days of mindlessly undisciplined busywork. I cannot pity such imbeciles, so much as I must find a way to put them out of the misery of their pointless lives. But finally, I have found a way. They will rejoice when they see what relief I will finally bring to them. They will, at once, collapse in eternal bliss…

“Now they will understand why I’ve toiled all these years. NOW, THEY WILL LOVE ME FOR IT!!”

Lightning tore across the sky in bleak morning sky as he set sail for that abominable place.

And none knew their ultimate destination but he.

Despite the legends and warnings, Eric had not expected the evil presence to take hold of their ship so quickly.

Crew and guest alike. None were untouched.

Until, finally, he and nine others abandoned their overtaken vessel.

The sea grew angrier, but he voyaged forward despite their pleads to stop.

What were once ten survivors turned to eight. Then six. Then four.

And now three.

Until there was one.

His journey may have been weeks or may have been months. It may have been day or may have been night. Yet suddenly, as through out of time and space itself, Eric alone arrived at the floating gateway to the dark place of his dreams.

His single obsession for these cruel, seemingly-endless leagues of ocean.

Furiously, he navigated through the bowels of the cave, maddeningly, through its twists and turns, desperately, around it’s corners and cavernous enclaves.

Until he reached the place… from his dreams.

He crashed at the edge of land and leapt forward with what little energy remained to begin walking, slowly.

In silence.

Until finally, finally, his Dark Master appeared to him, as he had once before.